Professionals???

I went to the doctor yesterday for an annual physical.  He is a great guy, but I get the feeling that he doesn't understand why I am still around.  Frankly, neither do I.  He asked for the first time about my family history.  He was shocked that there was very little disease or sickness in the family.  I attribute it to vast amounts of garlic, and screaming.

When he "performed" a digital prostate exam, he sounded surprised that it was exactly what it should be.  I was surprised that it was located just under my eye, because it seems that's where his finger was.  I asked him who "performed' this wonderful exam on him, and he said, "I can't tell you."" To which I replied, "I always heard the phrase, 'Physician heal thyself."  He seemed amused, but I was glad that there was no more probing.

This discourse got me to thinking about the way we feel about professionals.  It is ok for a physician to heal himself, but a lawyer who represents himself is considered to have a fool for a client.  This seems rather harsh, especially if the doctor is performing brain surgery.

Teaching is another profession that has a weird adage. " Those can't do, teach."  Of all the teachers I know, I would say that ineptness is no more rampant than in any other profession.  There is a longer version of the adage, which I am sure was coined by a teacher, it goes like this;  "Those who can't do, teach.  Those who can't teach, are administrators, and those that can't do either, are on the school board."

I am sure that there are other professions that have been disparaged as much as the three I have mentioned, but I can't think of any right now.  How about, "Analysts are anal, or Xray techs are easy to see through?" My two favorites, and most inappropriate, are:

Proctologists are a pain in the ass.

and,

Gynecologists are spreaders of old wives' tales.

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